2. LACE MAKING
• The difference between the lacemaking in European
countries and our country lies in its creators. In Europe,
lacemaking was in the hands of nuns, bourgeoisie and
nobility, while in Croatia it was transferred from them to the
hands of rural women in small villages. They have made
lace for traditional clothes and furnishings.
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3. LEPOGLAVA, PAG AND HVAR
• Nowadays, there are three main centres of lacemaking in
Croatia, whose work is a continuation of the long-lasting
lacemaking tradition. These are: Lepoglava in Hrvatsko
zagorje with bobbin lace, Pag on the Adriatic with needle
point lace and Hvar with aloe lace.
• The skill of making ribbon bobbin lacework from flax fibres
that the rural women from Lepoglava made for decorating
their garments or for sale, resulted in the making of fine lace
with different forms. The Pag lace is an ornamental element
first occurring in folklore textile and later as an independent
decoration. The skill of making lace from aloe in the town of
Hvar is specific due to the material it is made of (aloe) and
its single connection to a Benedictine convent.
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4. Two-part singing and playing in the Istrian
Scale
• There is often a degree of improvisation and variation during
the performance in both voices, but endings in unison or in
octave remain as a strict rule. This feature can be noticed in
bugarenje sub-style, too, regardless of the fact that the lower
voice drops additionally for a second or a diminished third.
Most of tone rows consist of four to six tones. Metro-
rhythmical organization, formal structure and structure of the
sung text range from simple to very complex patterns, and
the relationship between music and lyrics is specific.
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5. FESTIVITY OF ST. BLAISE-THE PATRON
SAINT OF DUBROVNIK
• Based on the legend of the appearance of Saint Blaise to
help the inhabitants of Dubrovnik against their enemy, the
Festivity is an occasion in which the people of the City and
its surrounding area, the representatives of state and local
authorities together with the representatives of the Roman
Catholic Church participate. Added to the spiritual dimension
is a special effect the Festivity produces in relation to social
relations and order, as well as the quality of the authorities .
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6. Kraljice (queens) from village Gorjani
• They are divided into kraljice (queens) and kraljevi (kings);
about ten kings wear sabres and male hats decorated with
flowers and half as much queens wear white garlands on
their heads like brides. From a wide repertoire of kraljica
lyrics they choose songs corresponding to the families they
are visiting; most often they sing to a girl, boy or a young
bride. Then kraljevi perform a dance with sabres, and kraljice
comment on the dance figures through song. This is followed
by a folk dance accompanied by musicians that can be
joined in by the household members. After they are treated
to food and drinks, the procession goes to another house.
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7. FROM KASTAV: BELL RINGERS
• They all have sheepskin throws turned inside-out and bells, after which
they were named. They ring with the bells by moving in different ways,
which requires certain skill and physical endurance. Therefore it is
considered that not just anyone can become a bell ringer. Although, on
one hand, visibly embodying the ancient magical meaning of a ritual,
which should invite fertility at the end of winter, this custom is still very
much alive even today. By enabling interaction of a group of bell ringers
(and the people following them in their procession) with the inhabitants of
the villages they pass on their way, the ritual maintains and stresses the
social significance and function of mutual relationships between villages
in the Kastav region, which is extremely important for the cohesion of the
villages in which the ritual takes place.
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8. PROCESSION IN HVAR
• On the night from Maundy Thursday to Good Friday, the Procession
passes through 6 villages on the island: Jelsa, Pitve, Vrisnik, Svirče, Vrbanj
and Vrboska. At the same time, processions start from six parish churches
with a cross-bearer ahead, wearing a heavy cross as a symbol of prayer or
gratitude, as his own or family pledge. He is followed by a chosen suite in
brotherhood tunics and numerous worshippers and pilgrims. They stop in
front of churches and chapels in other villages where greeted by priests
and return to their parish church before dawn. The people in the
Procession pass 25 kilometres in 8 hours. It is prepared and conducted by
brotherhoods, i.e. communities of Hvar believers whose history has been
profoundly marked by the cross. The central part of the Procession is the
Lamentations of the Virgin Mary, an octosyllabic Passion-related text
dating from the 15th century, sang in a dialogue form by chosen singers -
kantaduri.
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9. WOODEN TOYS PRODUCTION:
ZAGORJE REGION!
• A peculiar production of toys was developed in the 19th
century and it has been preserved in some villages such as
Laz, Stubica, Tugonica and Marija Bistrica.
• All these villages are on the route to the greatest pilgrimage
site in Croatia - Marija Bistrica. From very simple reed toys,
the assortment widened so that, at times, one hundred and
twenty different toys were produced. The method of their
production was passed on from generation to generation in
some families and has been kept to this day. The peculiarity
is that they are handmade by men and mostly painted by
women.
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10. A PARTICULAR ART!
• There can never be two completely identical toys since each
one is handmade. The material used is soft wood from the
area, willow, lime, beech and maple that craftsmen hew after
drying and then cut and shape it with the help of wooden or
cardboard models. In painting they use eco paint and their
base colours are usually red, yellow or blue. They paint the
toys with floral and geometrical ornaments. Today, about fifty
types of toys are made, ranging from various reeds,
tamburitzas, animal toys and objects of common use.
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11. Klapa singinig-since 2012!
• Klapa, or a capella type singing, has
a long tradition in the region and is
usually performed with the leader of
each singing group as the first tenor,
followed by several tenori,
baritoni and basi voices. During
performances, the singers stand in a
tight semicircle. The first tenor starts
the singing and is followed by the
others. The main aim is to achieve
the best possible blend of voices.
• Topics of klapa songs usually deal
with love, life situations, and the
environment in which they live.
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